Clueless A story of Superman and Wonder Woman
by Ronnie K
Summary: Romantic fic between Superman and Wonder Woman. Please be kind and review.
1. Chapter 1

**Clueless – Chapter 1 – Fallen Comrade**

"Robots?" The Flash was a red and yellow blur as he sped past two of the little machines on the ground. The vibrations from his passing left both robots quivering piles of shiny silver springs and gears. "Who uses robots anymore? That's SO last century."

From the dozens of mechanical mercenaries that began the battle that morning, only a few remained functional. Those were being dealt with by Superman and Wonder Woman. Heat vision and angry fists finished off the last of them.

Superman, standing on the desert floor next to one of the larger piles of junk, became thoughtful. "This isn't right. This is too easy."

"Does it matter?" asked Wonder Woman, trying unsuccessfully to wipe some oil from her hands. "They're done and now we can go back to headquarters. I need to get this gunk off. Ugh!"

"No, something else must be behind this. Look at the electronics in these things." He picked up one of the dozens of boards that littered the ground. "I don't see any logic boards in any of these things. All I see are receivers. Something else is controlling them." He scanned the area around them as he explained, but found nothing.

Wonder Woman sighed as Flash came to a stop in front of them. "Well, that's 'a bot' all, I guess." Wonder Woman groaned. He had been spitting out ridiculous puns all morning and she didn't think she could take much more.

Turning on his communicator, the Man of Steel ignored them both for the moment. "Oracle, we need some assistance please." When Oracle acknowledged the call, he proceeded to fill her in on what happened and his theory about a master controller.

Oracle wasn't having a good day. She'd woken up early with a bad head cold. At first she attributed it to allergies, only to remind herself that she was in space and there weren't a whole lot of allergens floating around. On top of that, she'd almost fallen to the floor trying to get from her bed to her wheelchair. That was four hours ago and her mood hadn't improved much. Grumpily, she began an electronic satellite scan of the area.

"Superman, if you'd kept your comm line open, I could have already--"

"I know, Oracle, and I'm sorry. I'll try to remember to keep the comm line open from now on", promised an abashed Superman. He glanced at Diana in time to see her roll her eyes. She'd heard this discussion before. Oracle scolds and Kal apologizes...until the next mission when it happens all over again. Oracle must be having a bad day, Diana mused. She wasn't normally so sharp with him. Oracle broke in on her reverie.

"And of course you know that it's really hard to stay mad at you", she groused. "I can't even see you, but I'll bet that you've got that wounded puppy look on your face with sad blue eyes." Flash was trying, and failing, to stifle a laugh. Diana almost laughed herself because Oracle was right. The expression on his face was exactly as she described.

A decidedly uncomfortable Superman was about to apologize again, but Oracle interrupted. "Got it. Two miles due east from your location. The device is about 3 feet tall, dull gray metal. Cylindrical. It looks like...well, it looks like a trash can. It seems to be constructed from a softer metal, probably lead."

"Ah, I didn't scan that far out. I assumed that it would be closer to us. There, I see it now. Diana, wait!" But Wonder Woman was already flying towards it, impatient to be done with this whole business.

Superman had almost caught up with her when an odd feeling came over him. Hunch, premonition or whatever it was told him that Diana was way too close to that thing.

With a burst of superspeed, he caught up to her about twenty meters from the cylinder. It _did_ look like a garbage can. Or one of those robots from Star Wars. Alarm bells were still ringing in his head and he did the first thing that came to mind. He grabbed Diana and turned her away from the thing, effectively shielding her with his body. She looked up at him and looked as if she was about to yell something at him when he heard the explosion behind him. There was a moment of excruciating pain and then...

Diana was tired of playing with these mechanical toys. She just wanted to be done with this and get back to the JLA headquarters and take a nice long shower. She felt as if she'd been dipped in motor oil. The robots had been very well lubricated, presumably because whomever made them had them well prepared for a desert environment. Each time she crushed one, more oil was splattered on her. Her hands were so slick with it that the last robot she tried to grab slipped out of her hands and was sent flying into another one, destroying both. Dirt and blood she could deal with, but this was something else altogether. All she wanted to do right now was smash that controller and then go back and take a nice long shower. Kal would probably want to study the damn thing first, but Diana didn't have the patience for that today. She'd just take care of it herself. She _really_ needed that shower.

She could see it clearly now. Yes, it did look like a trash can. Inwardly, she groaned. "Great", she thought. "I'll have to listen to Wally make stupid jokes about it all the way back to headquarters." Maybe she could wipe off enough of the oil from her hands so they wouldn't slip when she tried to choke him, as she would probably want to later. He certainly was the Fastest Man Alive, but nothing moved faster than his mouth sometimes. Maybe they called him "Flash" because he said the first thing that flashed into his head. She shook her head to clear it. She had more important things to think about.

Almost on top of it, Diana was startled to see a blue and red blur move in front of her. The next thing she knew, Kal was in front of her with his arms wrapped around her. About to ask him what in Hades he thought he was doing, she felt and heard the explosion behind him. She was looking into his eyes at that instant and saw them go wide as his face contorted in pain. Then everything went black.

When she opened her eyes, Diana found she was flat on her back staring at the sky roughly a half mile from the explosion. Turning her head, she could see Kal laying face down in the sand next to her. He wasn't moving. Scrambling up, she screamed at Flash "Get over here, now!" He was there before she finished her sentence. "Get us a transporter down here." Gently lifting Kal's cape, there were shards of what looked like green rock imbedded in his back and legs. There were dozens of those shards sticking out of him. They had to be kryptonite. Nothing else could pierce his skin like that. He was still breathing, though. That was heartening. Those shards had to be removed immediately.

She turned to Flash again. "Wally, I need you to pull those pieces of kryptonite out of him. Quickly!" Leaving him to it, Diana looked around and she found some of the larger pieces of the controller, and with her superhuman strength, began to mould them into a box. Before she finished, Flash had a pile of the kryptonite in his hands, waiting for the container to be completed. Diana handed him the box and he put the shards into it and closed the make-shift lid.

"I think I got all of it", said the speedster.

"You _think_ you got all of it?" Diana flared. "You damn well better _know_ you got it all. Just one of those little slivers can kill him."

"Diana, chill out. I don't have x-ray vision, ya know. I got all of it that I could see."

"Don't tell me to--" Diana was cut off as the transporter arrived. Instead of yelling at Flash, she bent and gently picked Kal up off the ground, carrying him to the transporter tube. A strangely quiet Flash followed her in.

"Don't worry, Diana, he'll be okay. You know Supes, takes a licking and keeps on ticking." It was just another feeble attempt at humor, but then, that was all he usually had. Diana let out a long breath as they waited to be transported. "Wally, I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Wally West had seen and heard lots of strange and amazing things since becoming the Scarlet Speedster, but he could not recall anything stranger than Wonder Woman actually apologizing to him. For one of the few times in his life, Wally was not just silent, but actually speechless. The desert around them faded away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Clueless – Chapter 2 – Regrets**

The Medi-Lab was silent, except for the low hum of various machines scattered around the large room. All of them were medical units of one kind or another, except for the small emergency generator in the corner. Most of them were gifts from either earthly or alien sources that were donated with gratitude to the Justice League for services rendered. 'Services rendered' generally meant having saved the donor's culture or planet from destruction or invasion. Small lights blinked or pulsed on some of the equipment, dancing to some tune that the other machines were humming. The overhead lights were dim, since the human technicians that worked there had already finished their workday.

Diana noticed none of this as she swept through the large double doors. The only thing that registered in her conscious mind was the brightly lit chamber in the middle of the room and the figure lying on a table within it. There was nothing else in the universe as far as she was concerned. Nothing else that mattered, anyway.

The chamber was a solar radiation room. The large metal apparatus hanging from the ceiling looked very much like a large funnel, which was designed to take sunlight, concentrate and purify the rays, then direct them onto the table beneath it. On that table was the Man of Steel, stripped down to his shorts to have as much flesh exposed to the light as possible. Since he was for all intents and purposes a solar-powered being, this process was the equivalent of trying to charge a very large battery and that charging would take time. That is what the senior doctor of the station's medical team had told them. Diana recalled the look of concern on his face while he gave his prognosis. His official report came in while Wonder Woman gave an incident report to the rest of the League about what had happened down there in the desert. The doctor's video report had come in just as the meeting was wrapping up and just as an agitated Diana was getting ready to rush out to the lab to sit with her friend. Since no one really understood kryptonian physiology that well, the prognosis was uncertain.

Diana, still bedraggled from the afternoon's battle, was sure that Kal would recover soon. He had to. This was her fault. He was here because she had acted impatiently and rashly. She pulled a chair from the corner and placed it next to his still form. The table was fairly low to the ground, so she could look at his face while she sat. She leaned forward in the chair so that her face was only inches from his. From time to time, she would turn her head to watch the rise and fall of his chest to reassure herself that he was still breathing. Mostly, though, she kept her attention on his face as if she was trying through force of will to make his eyes open.

"What have I done to you, Kal? I'm sorry I acted the way I did. I know better, but I let my guard down because my mind was on something else. That never should have happened. I—"

She abruptly straightened herself in her chair as she heard the doors to the lab open. Into the room strode the Green Lantern, Flash, Power Girl and the Martian Manhunter. Everyone on the station had wanted to come and at least see Superman, but it was decided that only the senior members would be allowed into the lab until he was conscious. The senior members on-station would give everyone status reports on his condition from time to time. As they looked upon their fallen comrade, their expressions became grim. J'Onn stared intently at Superman for a few moments and then nodded.

"His thought patterns indicate a normal sleep. Not his usual strong patterns, but they aren't fading." J'Onn's telepathic abilities came in handy for things other than combat. At this pronouncement, the others in the room seemed to relax a little, except for Diana. Power Girl didn't relax either, but she was staring at Diana and not at Superman.

Flash, for his part, managed to keep his tongue still, while Lantern merely said "I'll be more than happy to pass along that status report." With that, he turned and left the room followed by Flash and J'Onn. Flash turned to ask whether Power Girl was coming, she told him that she would be along soon.

After the doors had closed, she turned back to face a still seated Diana. A Diana with a fierce gleam in her eye as she met the gaze of her fiery teammate. Wonder Woman and Power Girl had worked together many times over the years, but rarely in harmony. Wonder Woman had lectured Power Girl on her habit of just charging into situations without thought, letting her yearning for battle override her brains. The blond beauty had strength not far below Diana's and a battle spirit that nearly matched her too. What she lacked was the patience to plan ahead so that the whole team could work smoothly and efficiently. Diana tried to teach her, but the lessons always descended into arguments. For her part, Power Girl resented the lectures, even though they were never given when others were present. She felt while some planning was necessary, sometimes it was just time to go in and break heads.

Now it was Diana who had acted precipitously and she fully expected to hear about it.

However, Power Girl was shaking her head. "No, you don't know what I'm thinking or what I'm going to say. And, no, I didn't stay back to lecture you. I know you, and you'll be beating yourself up over this for a long time without my help." She leaned forward, reaching out to put her hands on Diana's shoulders. "First, of all, I wanted to say that Superman will be fine. You _know_ that he will be. Second, I wanted to tell you—well, I don't know how to put it nicely, so here goes. You need a shower. You smell like a garbage dump and you look even worse." Diana looked across the room to the mirror on the far wall. What she saw was Medusa…on a really bad day. She had taken Kal to the lab straight from the transporter. From there, she went to give the report and from there she came directly here. She had completely forgotten about her shower. She was prepared to forgo the shower anyway until he woke, but Power Girl continued "Do you really want him to see you like this when he wakes up?" Diana intended to protest that she didn't care and of course it didn't matter at all, but what came out of her mouth was "No, no I don't want him to see me like this."

Power Girl smiled and Diane chuckled. "So, I'll stay here with him while you clean yourself up and relax for an hour or two. If he happens to wake up, I will call you immediately. Okay?"

"Okay." Diana stood up to go, but before she did she turned to face the blond bombshell. "Thank you, PG. I appreciate this more than you know."

"Oh, I _know_." And to Diana's confusion, PG glanced and Superman, looked at her, and winked. With that, PG sat in the vacated chair, took off her gloves and began to work on her fingernails with the file she plucked from her belt. With one more look at Kal, Diana went quickly to her quarters.

Power Girl smiled as she watched her go.

PG's cell phone chirped, startling her for a moment. The caller ID told her it was Super Girl. She picked it up on the third chirp.

"Hi Kara." PG put down her nail file to concentrate on the call.

"Yes, we think he'll be fine. He's out like a light, but J'Onn says he seems okay."

"No, he's here in the lab under the whatever-ya-call this thing with the bright light."

"Uh-huhn, oh yeah, that's what they call it."

"Of course Diana's been here. She was mooning over him the whole time, until I came in, that is. I just shooshed her out to take a shower and freshen up."

"How did I get her to go? Well, I said 'do you really want him to see you like this when he wakes up?'. Well, she finally saw herself in the mirror, coated in oil and gunk, and hightailed it to her room to take a shower like her butt was on fire."

With a chuckle, PG said "No, she's still hanging onto that 'we're best friends' b.s. She actually _believes it_.

"He's oblivious too? Really, Kara, you'd expect that a man with powers and abilities blah-blah-blah could put two and two together. Well, he's a man, I guess, so what can you expect?"

"Yeah, okay. By the time you can manage to get here he'll probably be up and around. Yes, I'll give you all the details."

"Alright. I'll see you then. Bye"

She put the phone back into its' pocket on her belt and picked up the nail file again. It's been a quiet universe lately, but at least it wasn't _boring_.


	3. Chapter 3

Clueless – Cleanliness…

**Clueless – Chapter 3 – Cleanliness…**

Note: The obligatory "Shower scene". Down boys, this is the shorter and, um, _cleaner _version.

After stripping out of her oily and greasy uniform, Diana balled it up and shoved it down the laundry chute. The stains may never come out of it, she thought, but that was up to the laundry staff. All Diana had to worry about was getting the stains out of her hair and off the rest of her body.

She strode to the bathroom and turned on the hot water as hot as it would go. An irritating problem with being a metahuman resistant to hot and cold temps was that you had to get the water very hot before you could even feel it. Fortunately, the wing that she lived in was made for metahumans like her and had a separate hot water source that was heated well enough so that she could enjoy the shower.

As she stepped into the already steaming stall she wondered whether Kal could feel a hot shower at all. She would have to remember to ask him sometime. It would be nice to have someone to wash her back for her, though. As pictures began to take shape in her mind Diana firmly pushed them away. She had work to do if she was going to get clean anytime soon.

An hour later and Diana found herself sitting at table in a fresh uniform brushing out her slightly damp hair. She felt like a new woman compared to the one that first stepped into that shower. Her table mirror reflected a woman whose perfect complexion glowed, and raven black hair got more of its old body back with each brush stroke. It felt good to be herself again. Now it was time to get back to Kal until _he_ was _him_self again.

Stepping out into the hall, the first thing that Diana noticed was the silence. The corridors were empty at this late hour and it was just as well because the amazon princess wasn't really in the mood to exchange pleasantries with anyone just now. She just wanted to enjoy feeling good. The only person she wanted to exchange dialogue with right now was still unconscious in the Medi-Lab. "Maybe he's already wakened" she thought. She quickened her pace.

Soon enough she was walking through the doors to the Lab, noticing first that Kal still hadn't moved and next that Kara was browsing through a People magazine. This irked Diana for some reason she didn't understand until she remembered the article they'd done about Superman a few months back. It was titled "What would you do on a date with Superman?" She didn't normally read garbage like that, but she had read that particular article. Most of the interviewees had been actresses and many of the responses had been quite graphic. It was disgusting. The Flash, of course, thought it was funny. He read it as if he was memorizing it, he was that engrossed. Power Girl, over Supergirl's objections, had to show it to Kal. He blushed quite brightly at some of the suggestions, which amused PG quite a bit. Diana happened to walk up to them as he was reading it and immediately threw it in the trash after he was done. The whole episode had left her in a foul mood for the rest of the day.

It took an effort, but she put those thoughts out of her mind and walked up to PG and the still prone Man of Steel.

"No change?"

"Nope. Still sleeping like a baby." PG smiled as she casually tucked the magazine into the back of her belt.

"Thank you for watching over him while I was gone. How do you say it? Oh yes, 'I owe you one'."

"No problem, Diana. I was glad to do it." Seeing something in her eyes as Diana looked at Superman, she added earnestly "He'll be fine. Really. He's been through worse."

"Yes, he will be fine, I'm sure and yes again, he's been through worse."

"Well, I guess I'll be going then." She reached towards the back of her belt. "Need something to read?"

"No. No, I'm fine thanks."

"Oh, okay then. I'll see you around then."

"Yes, I'll see you around."

With a swish of her cape, PG was soon out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Clueless – Teamwork Isn't Always a Good Thing or Sometimes Two Heads Aren't Better Than One

**Clueless – Chapter 4 - Teamwork Isn't Always a Good Thing or Sometimes Two Heads Aren't Better Than One**

The corridor was deserted as Supergirl and Power Girl took a leisurely stroll, their heads close together and their voices low. The low hum of the air units above could still be heard over their words. It was just as well they were alone. Other JLAers have been giving the pair of them suspicious looks when they saw her and Kara together lately and it was starting to get on PG's nerves.

Separately, they were innocent as lambs, but when together, they plotted and planned like the Society of Evil. With about the same results, usually. Batman had wanted them banned from associating with each other on the satellite, at least associating with each other alone, but Superman, to the disappointment of most others, wouldn't give such an order. "He hadn't been the target of one of their little plans yet" thought Batman sourly. He could be excused for being a bit surly, since "Batman needs a girlfriend" was the duo's latest Good Samaritan attempt. What they didn't take into account was that Batman didn't _want_ a relationship and besides, when he was attracted to someone it was almost always to someone either straddling the line between good and evil or completely on the other side of it. Much to the super women's chagrin, "good girls" held no interest for him, and they couldn't exactly hook him up with someone they saw as evil. It didn't take him long to figure out what they were doing. That was the other thing they didn't take into account; that Batman was the world's greatest detective and would figure out their scheme. It was a disaster.

Batman had given them the what-for about it, but that only enforced the girls' theory that he was a sourpuss because he didn't have a girlfriend. But when Superman quietly pulled them aside and told them that it was wrong to meddle in someone's life like that and that he was "very disappointed" in them, PG couldn't meet anyone's eye for the rest of the day and Kara went to her room in near tears. Superman being disappointed in you was almost as bad as Superman being angry with you--almost. Unfortunately for the rest of the League, among all the powers the two heroes could boast of, "super memory" wasn't one of them. It was only a matter of time before "The Lecture" wore off and they were back to being themselves again.

Supergirl had just returned from a mission on earth and had immediately sought out Power Girl. She had an idea she needed to get some help with. PG always had helpful suggestions when something needed to be done. And so, they found themselves alone in the corridor while Kara spun out the new "idea".

"I've been doing some thinking on my way back to the station. Why don't we push it along a little?"

"What do you mean 'push'? Push what?" PG prodded, already having a pretty good notion where this was going.

"Superman and Wonder Woman, silly. Everyone but them can see they were made for each other. It would just be heartbreaking if they never got together. So, what do you think would happen if someone else showed an interest in Superman? It might push Diana to think about how she feels. Jealousy makes people think a lot, doesn't it? And guess who would be the perfect 'love interest' for the big lug?" She looked pointedly at PG. The wicked gleam in Kara's eyes started alarm bells ringing in PG's head.

PG turned to her friend so quickly that she got tangled in her red cape. "Oh, no you don't, Kara! Not me." She got herself quickly untangled. "Yeah, he's a great guy and all, but definitely not my type. I'm not interested in nice guys. You know that."

"I'm not saying that you would really date him—well, not for long, anyway. Just pretend."

"No, not interested."

"C'mon. Just for a little while", she coaxed

"No, Kara, absolutely not. Besides, do you want another Lecture?"

Kara suddenly found the carpet at her feet very interesting as she softly said "No."

"Okay then. On the other hand, they've been mooning over each other so long without realizing it, we would really be doing them both a favor, wouldn't we?."

Kara brightened immediately. "So, we get someone besides you to be 'the other woman'!"

"Exactly" said Power Girl, deep in concentration now.

Kara mused "Hmmm, we don't have a lot to choose from here."

Kara could almost see the light bulb flash over her friend's head. "Wait a minute! I've got it. Remember that new reporter you told me about at the Daily Planet? What's her name again?"

"Lane. Lois or something. But what--"

"Wait-wait-wait-listen! All we need to do is get a rumor going, right? We don't really need someone to hang onto Supes. He might get suspicious anyway. The beauty of it is that this reporter never has to know what's going on and neither does he. You said she's kinda got the hots for him anyway, right? So we really won't be lying about it."

"Yeah, I guess so. But, PG, what if Diana figures out what we're doing?" Kara absentmindedly began wringing her hands.

Power Girl swallowed loudly. "Well, we just have to make sure she doesn't, right?" Her false cheeriness wasn't fooling Kara, but Kara merely said "Right".

After some silence, they dismissed their misgivings and plunged back into their plotting. "How do we get this into Diana's ear and not get caught?" asked Kara.

"How do most rumors get going around here? We talk where Wally can hear us. He might be the fastest man alive or maybe he isn't, but he definitely has the fastest mouth!"

Kara laughed. "Quick Jaw McGraw, of course! You are a wicked and conniving person, PG." she tsked as she brushed a strand of corn silk hair away from her baby blue eyes.

"Oh, don't give me all the credit. Whose idea was it in the first place? I just helped with the details. Besides, we're trying to help, right?"

Kara giggled. "Since you put it _that_ way. Now, what do we do next?"

PG thought for a moment. "I'm not completely sure yet. We need to come up with some things we can let slip in Wally's hearing. We'll need to let slip a few things in Diana's ear, too, of course. We just need to be very careful about it. Let's talk about it over some food. I'm hungry."

With a little extra bounce in their step, they headed to the dining room.


	5. Chapter 5

Clueless Part 5 – Reflections

**Clueless - Chapter 5 – Reflections**

After Power Girl departed, Diana looked at Kal for a moment, then around the room, remembering that the lab had surveillance equipment running at all times. That would not do. She needed privacy. This was no one else's business.

"Video off. Audio off." Only senior members of the League had the authority to shut down the eyes and ears that were built into most public rooms of the satellite, but it was rarely ever done. Private conversations could be held in the living quarters, which were not bugged, but this conversation had to be here and it had to be private.

Diana's emotions were jumbled lately. There was something tugging at her and she could not understand what it was. Things had bothered her before over the years, and she could always talk to Kal about them and always felt better afterwards. Sometimes he gave suggestions, sometimes he just listened. Either way, by the time she was done unburdening herself to him her problem seemed halfway solved. Diana tried to do the same for him when he had problems. She could never talk to anyone else as she could with him, and she was sure he felt the same. They had a bond that was always there, had always been there. Something rarely thought about and never talked about. In the back of her mind, she knew she needed to talk to him about this just as she knew that it was better that he was not awake to hear it. She just had no idea what to say just yet.

She sat down in the chair next to the bed, took his hand in both of hers and gazed at his face for a while as she tried to decide what to say. It should have been easy while he was asleep, but it seemed hard to get the words out for some reason.

"I've already said this, Kal, but I'm sorry for what happened down there." Her hands were gently massaging his as she spoke. "I even apologized to Wally for yelling at him." She smiled. "You should have seen the look on his face! I could have knocked him over with a feather. It was priceless." Her expression quickly sobered. "I know it shouldn't have been necessary. I shouldn't have yelled at him, but I was angry. I saw you just lying there and I—"

Diana hastily put his hand back on the bed and rose to get a glass of water. To give herself time to think, but she couldn't think. Feelings were getting in the way of clear, reasoned thinking. Feelings that she didn't understand. She put the glass of water down after taking a brief sip and sat back in the chair. She took his hand again. Perhaps if she just kept talking it would help.

"I felt helpless and you know how much I hate feeling helpless." Brows knit in concentration, she thought that one over. "No, it wasn't merely that. I truly believe that it was because you were down and I didn't know if you would live or die. The thought of you dying scared me, Kal."

Suddenly restless, the amazon princess put Kal's hand down again, stood and began to pace around the bed. "I rationalize to myself that it's because we are such good friends, but that answer doesn't ring true." Now, there was no thought behind what she was saying. It felt as if it were someone else inside her trying, and now succeeding, to be heard. She stood over the bed, taking his hand once again, and leaned over him. She was close enough to feel his breath on her lips, her eyes never leaving his face. "Kal, I think…I think that I—"

Diana jumped back as she heard the lab doors beginning to open…


	6. Chapter 6

Clueless Part 6 – Planting Season Comes Early

**Clueless Chapter 6 – Planting Season Comes Early**

The cafeteria wasn't very crowded when Power Girl and Supergirl got their food and looked for a place to sit. Kara silently pointed towards a table in the corner where the Flash was sitting, apparently lost in thought. Perfect! PG nodded and led the way to a table not far from him, where his back would be to them. PG took the chair that allowed her to see Wally's back. They quietly set their food trays down and took their seats. Kara had to suppress the urge to giggle. PG kicked her under the table to quiet her down.

PG began in a low voice, as if she didn't want to be overheard. "So, tell me the details, Kara. What happened with the interview between Lois Lane and Superman?" It was better to be explicit when you wanted to get through to Wally. He didn't do innuendo very well. He either didn't get it at all, or he got it all wrong, so they had to proceed carefully.

Kara picked up on this immediately, but only had a vague idea on what to say. There hadn't been much time to discuss a plan of action, and Wally happened to be right where they wanted him to be, but too soon. They would have to wing it and make it up as they went. She guessed that this "interview" would have happened just before this mess with the robots and kryptonite. She could imagine the interview now as her brain was busy making it up. Kara did allow herself a giggle here, since she couldn't hold it in any longer and it fit in with the conversation anyway. "Well, you had to be there to appreciate it, but it looked like Lois wanted to do the interview from Superman's lap!"

That got Wally's attention. He didn't turn around, but PG clearly saw him freeze for a moment, then casually lean back in his chair to hear them better. PG winked at Kara to let her know that they now had an audience.

"What was she wearing? Something sexy?"

Kara almost sighed in relief. PG knew she needed a little help and was nudging her along with the questions. "Dear Lord, you should have seen the outfit she had on. See-through blouse and a skirt barely long enough to be legal. I may have to get one myself!" Another giggle from Kara was cut short when she saw that PG was staring daggers at her. She got the point. Don't overdo it here. They needed to set a scene for Wally, not a fantasy. The man was so easily sidetracked.

Kara continued. "Well, anyway, she almost did the interview from his pocket, she was so close."

"And what did Superman do?"

"Well, he looked a bit uncomfortable at first, but after awhile it looked like he was enjoying it, and you'd swear she was looking at a pastry she couldn't wait to eat."

"What happened after the interview?" PG prodded.

Kara took the hint. "She actually asked him to dinner! He said he'd consider it, and then he left."

"Did you tell her what happened with Superman in the desert?"

"Yeah, I told her. She was very upset. She begged me to let her know how he's doing. Speaking of which, how is the big guy doing? I haven't had the chance to get a peek at him."

That was the signal for PG to change the subject, which PG was happy to do. As they began to chat about other things, PG watched from the corner of her eye as Wally slowly got up and left the cafeteria. Mission accomplished. It would be fun to see how long it would take Wally to start blabbing. The girls gave themselves a high-five before finishing their meals. A short time later, they too left to get some rest.

From a table not far away, a thoughtful Batman took his leave too.


	7. Chapter 7

**Clueless Chapter 7 – Confessions**

"Hal! What are you doing here?" Diana was trying to regain her composure after the Green Lantern's sudden appearance in the Medi-Lab.

Hal Jordan, Earth's current Green Lantern entered the room. Diana noted that he wasn't wearing his mask that matched his resplendent green and black uniform. She assumed that this was his idea of casual dress.

"Hi Diana. J'Onn and I have monitor duty and we noticed that the video and audio feeds to this room had been deactivated." He smiled as he shrugged his shoulders. "We just wanted to make sure that nothing was amiss here. Sorry to have startled you."

Diana relaxed a bit, having regained her composure. "That's quite all right, Hal. I, um, well you know how I hate to be monitored, so I cut the feeds. Everything is fine."

"_Is_ everything fine? Are you okay, Diana?" The concern on his face made her uncomfortable. She did not know why this was so, but it was.

"Certainly. I had a chance to freshen up and feel just fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I know how you feel about—" He glanced at the prone figure of the Man of Steel before realizing what he had been about to blurt out. He recovered himself quickly. "I mean, I know it was a rough day and just, ah, wanted to make sure you were feeling okay."

Diana unaccountably felt a blush coming when she realized what Hal had been about to say. She was also aware that she was coming to understand why she felt this way. She needed more time alone to sort this out. Fortunately, the Green Lantern had no intention of staying.

"J'Onn and I will be in the monitoring station tonight if you need anything. And Diana, he'll be fine."

"Thank you, Hal." With that, he turned to go. At the door, however, he turned back to her.

"Oh, almost forgot. J'Onn will be coming over in about two hours to check on the patient again. Just thought I would let you know."

Diana merely smiled and nodded, watching as the doors closed behind him.

Once she was sure he was gone, she began to pace the room. Her emotions were jumbled again, but things were starting to make sense. As a matter-of-fact, she knew she had almost voiced the reason behind these confusing emotions, but Hal had come in at that very moment. She had questions she had to ask herself first.

Did she really feel for Kal what she was suspecting she did? Looking back at their years together, Diana always knew that there was something special between them. At first it was a kind of kinship. Two very strong beings with very strong characters and convictions who fought together and could count on each other in battle. As the years went by, though, it became something more. She always wanted to be with him whether it was combat or just talking in his room. They knew each other probably better than anyone else, she realized. They were both very private people yet she knew most of his deepest secrets and he knew most of hers. She felt comfortable with him no matter what the subject. She told him things she wouldn't dream of telling anyone else. When she looked at him years ago, she thought of friendship or so she thought. Now when she looked at him, she felt—passion. Yet it all happened so slowly that Diana was unaware of the change. Or perhaps it had always been there and she was just slow to realize it.

Did Kal have these same feelings for her? Casting her mind back again, she could see some of the strange looks he gave her at odd moments. She couldn't identify them at the time, but she thought now that maybe… But, how could she be sure?

She was sure of one thing, however. She had to express it out loud, but this was the one thing she wasn't sure she could talk to him about. Since he was unconscious now, she could say it to him and not worry about his reaction. It was the coward's way out, she knew, but at the moment she didn't really care.

Sitting down again, Diana picked up Kal's hand and held it against her cheek for emotional support. She yawned. It had been a busy day. Leaning over, she began to whisper in his ear as if he was awake.

"Kal, I don't know what to think anymore. I'm confused, and you know how I _hate_ to be confused or uncertain." She smiled at that. "After some serious thought, I have come to the conclusion that I…I—" Why was this so hard? Normal humans did this every day. Was it this hard for them too? Diana decided that if she was to do this, she would have to stop thinking and keep talking or she would never finish. Looking at his closed eyes, "Kal, I think—No, I know that I love you. I don't know if you return my sentiments or not, but I needed to say it. I have no idea what, if anything, I should do, but I feel better just for having said it." There, that was done with.

That last came out in a drowsy whisper. It had truly had been a long day, then the stress, and then that hot shower. Before she knew it, she was asleep in the chair, his hand still held to her cheek. If anyone was watching, they would know that her sleep was a peaceful one.

One person _was_ watching now. Careful not to disturb the sleeping woman, Superman slowly turned his head to get a better look. Despite the tiara, Diana's face was still partially obscured by locks of jet black hair. Beautiful hair, he thought. More importantly to him, though, was that she was beautiful on the inside. He'd known for a long time that he loved her, but hadn't wanted to say anything. Friendships were ruined when these kinds of feelings got in the way. He had no idea how she felt about him, so he had thought it best to keep silent. He wasn't sure he should say anything to her later either, but for now he just enjoyed watching her asleep against his hand. It wasn't exactly the way he'd dreamed about it, but it was fine anyway. He couldn't help but smile at the thought.

Without thinking, he let his thumb lightly trace the curve of her cheek. Diana's eyes flew open and immediately lit on those wondrous blue eyes that she had just been dreaming of. When she realized that she was still holding his hand, she let it go as if it were hot. It took an effort not to jump out of her chair.

"Kal, you're awake. Thank Hera! How are you feeling?" The words came out in a rush, and she studied his face for a moment. He had a very self-satisified smile on his face and a gleam in his eyes that she wasn't sure she wanted to identify. She was immediately suspicious.

"How long have you been awake, Kal?" It was more an accusation than a question but she waited for a response anyway.

"Um, I woke up just before you fell asleep" he said sheepishly, yet that gleam never left his eyes.

Diana didn't exactly know how to ask if he'd heard her confession or not. She was kicking herself for even bringing the subject up, but now that she had, perhaps right now was the best time to talk about it. She stopped for a moment to think.

"What's the matter, Diana?" Her countenance suggested either anger or deep thought, and he wasn't sure which.

"We need to talk, Kal, and it's long overdue."

"All right. What is it we need to discuss?" He already knew, of course. He wasn't super-dense—well, he was, but not 'dense' as in 'stupid'. She obviously had something to say, so it would be easier if he let her start.

"We almost lost you today."

He took her hand and held it. "This kind of thing happens to us from time to time. You know that--"

She held up her other hand to shush him. "Wait, please. Let me finish. What I meant to say is that _I_ almost lost you today."

"A long time ago, you decided that you weren't good enough for me. And I let you believe that. Perhaps, at the time, I might have even believed it myself. I was wrong, Kal.

Even if it were true back then, do you believe it is true now?"

"Well, no, not really. I--" But she put up her hand again and he cut himself off.

"You've been courting a woman who doesn't even know who you really are. To this day, I don't understand that. In the meantime, I've been waiting for a tomorrow that I now see may never come. I didn't realize it until today, but I've been waiting for you—for that relationship of yours to be over. Somehow I always knew there would be a someday for us"

"Kal, What I'm trying to get across is that I'm tired of waiting. I've come to realize that there may not be a later for me, for you or for us. Nothing is guaranteed in life, as you've said yourself."

"I know you, Clark Kent. I know you, Kal-El from Krypton. I know you, Superman. I know them all as I know myself. And I love them all."

"Hera help me, I'm so tired of waiting." She whispered this as if to herself, and Clark gripped her hand more tightly. She lowered her head onto their clasped hands as if in joint prayer. And perhaps it was.

He turned to stare at the bright light above him as he thought about what she had just said. He was shocked, of course. He had no idea that the depth of her feelings for him could match the ones he had for her.

For years he had tried, unsuccessfully, to put her out of his mind. She was wrong about him not deserving her. How could he possibly deserve a princess—a goddess? She was the perfect woman, in form as well as personality, while he was merely a man. But, it certainly wasn't an issue for her, so why should it be for him?

What about Lois? He loved many things about her. She was beautiful, intelligent and determined. She couldn't seem to see the real Clark, however. She adored Superman, yet disdained Clark Kent. Could that ever work? Would she ever be able to reconcile the fact that mild-mannered Clark Kent was Superman? Having a relationship with someone who he would always have to worry about breaking? Don't hug too hard, don't kiss too hard...had he ever really thought this through?

Yet here was a woman who was a perfect partner for him. Physically, mentally, emotionally. She knew exactly who he was. And loved him anyway! His train of thought temporarily left him as he tried to grasp that. He knew that he loved her, but thought that it was a hopeless cause. Now, it was like a dream come true. There wasn't even a decision to make. He turned his head towards her...

She looked up, as if she knew he was watching her. He was, and he was smiling that radiant smile of his. She saw in his eyes what she had longed to see.

"I love you, Diana. I have loved you since I first got to know you. You are right that life is too short for waiting. We don't have to wait any longer."

He pulled her head down to his and kissed her. It wasn't a kiss of lust, or even passion. It was a kiss to seal a new covenant between them. An agreement long overdue.

* * *

A few hours later, Kara and PG were walking along the corridor near the observation deck, plotting their next move when they spotted a much healthier looking Superman standing with Wonder Woman. Both of them were staring out the window and into space. They were holding hands too.

They both stopped dead in their tracks, almost causing the Atom to bump into them. He rolled his eyes as he stepped around them.

Kara and PG both turned to each other and started talking at once.

"Did we--"

"It couldn't have happened so fast!"

A voice behind from behind made them jump. "Into the next conference room with you two. I want to have a word with you." The Batman did not sound pleased. The guilty looks passing between the girls was enough confirmation they had been up to something, if Batman had needed it, that is.

Heads bowed, the girls dutifully (and fretfully) made their way to the designated conference room. As they passed by the engrossed Super Couple, the Batman repressed a small smile. "About damn time", he muttered, as he escorted his errant charges to their newest lecture.

The End


End file.
